


catch a falling star and call it magic

by kaleidomusings



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec Lightwood Has No Chill, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Howl's Moving Castle Fusion, Family, Friendship, Howl's Moving Castle AU, M/M, Magnus Bane Has No Chill, Pining, They're a match made in heaven
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2020-02-28 08:44:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18752935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaleidomusings/pseuds/kaleidomusings
Summary: “Good thing I’m like this then,” Alec told Jace. “The warlock only wants beautiful young virgins, which I’m not.”He’d never seen a dog roll its eyes at him before, but Jace seemed to manage just fine.“Oh shut up, you.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If this story looks familiar, I posted it once before but it's gone through a lot of revamping and hopefully it's more enjoyable to read. Please leave kudos and comments letting me know what you think!

It should have been a morning like any other, but breakfast came to an abrupt halt when Robert Lightwood told his children, “You won’t be attending school anymore.”

Alec -the eldest son, and the one doomed to fail- set his teacup down harder than he meant to, the clattering of porcelain impossibly loud in the sudden and ringing silence. 

Max’s eyes darted between his parents and his older siblings, stunned with disbelief. “What?”

“You must be joking,” Isabelle said. Her voice deceptively controlled, a sure sign that she was furious. 

“I assure you that we’re not,” their mother, Maryse Lightwood, said and dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. “Your father and I agreed it is in the family’s best interests.”

Isabelle slammed her fork down on the table. “The family’s best interests is for us to get an education. To get out of Alicante and its backwards way of thinking.”

Maryse’ mouth twisted in that way it did right before she started yelling, so Alec interrupted more in an attempt to protect his younger siblings from her temper than anything else. “We understand,” he said and tried not to let his disappointment show in front of Izzy and Max, even though he only had half a year left before graduation. At the very least, he needed to be strong for them.

“There has to be another way,” Izzy insisted. 

“You should just do as you’re told,” Robert snapped at her. 

Max actually shrank back in his chair at their father’s harsh tone, like it had been a physical blow, and Alec felt for him. He was still so young and hadn’t yet grown out of blindly worshipping parents who continued to disappoint over and over again. Whose excessive spending and debts were the cause of this entire situation. 

Maryse glared at Robert, who cleared his throat and gentled his tone. “Of course we care about your futures,” he said, “Which is why we’ve arranged apprenticeships for each of you.”

“Apprenticeships,” Izzy repeats, sounding as skeptical as Alec felt. Their parents were obviously sending them away to avoid having to deal with them. “What kind of apprenticeships?”

Maryse reached out and smoothed her hand over Max’s hair with a smile. “Max will be tutored by Hodge Starkweather and Isabelle by Jocelyn Fray.”

Isabelle laughed bitterly. “The witch? Are you kidding me?”

“I don’t want to fight!” Max said, distraught. “Why can’t I learn magic instead of Izzy?”

“This isn’t up for debate,” Robert said in annoyance. “You should be grateful for the opportunities you’ve given. Your mother and I want the very best for you.”

The look on Izzy’s face would scare a demon into submission. “What about Alec?”

And he already knew what the answer will be even before Maryse answered. After all, he was the oldest and would always be the child his parents cared the least about. Everyone knew that the youngest child always found his fortune and Izzy was not only was beautiful, she was fiercely determined and independent. He was nowhere near as strong as she was. 

“He’ll take over the dress shop, of course.”

Izzy and Max immediately protested, arguing against the expectations Robert and Maryse have so unfairly heaped onto their eldest son. When Alec wasn’t studying, every free moment was spent in the back of the shop to fill all of the orders that came in. He was always so busy he couldn’t even spend time with his friends, and that included Jace, who was practically the Lightwood’s adopted son, and complained that he hardly ever saw Alec unless he dropped by the shop. 

Alec knew it was because his parents wanted to take advantage of him while they pranced around in front of nobles at their fancy parties, which they really couldn’t afford anyway. But he just went along with it, because his parents did love him deep down. There were times when his father would place a gentle hand on his shoulder or his mother would kiss his cheek when their shop was doing particularly well, his dresses being the very best in town. 

After all, his parents didn’t have to be unkind in order to exploit him. 

But it filled Alec’s heart with love when Izzy and Max defended him, even though it wasn’t worth it to ruin their relationship with them on his account. He wasn’t worth it. “This is a good chance for you both,” he said to his younger siblings, before his gaze moved to Maryse and Robert. As long as Max and Izzy were safe and taken care of, that was all he could really ask for. Besides, maybe the distance from their parents would do them a world of good. 

“It’s decided then,” Maryse said, looking pleased to get her way. “Isabelle, Max. Go upstairs and pack. You’ll be leaving in an hour.”

She herded them up to their rooms, ignoring Max’s complaints while Izzy held her head high, too dignified and angry to voice her protests. Robert glanced at Alec and gave him an awkward nod, before leaving the room without a word. 

Alec watched him go, telling himself that this was for the best, and pretended that his heart wasn’t breaking when Max and Izzy left for good.

—

“How could they do this?”

Alec didn’t look up from his needlework because he could easily imagine the expression Jace was making as he paced and fumed, raking his hands through his thick blond hair, mismatched eyes flashing with irritation. Alec was only able to keep his emotions in check because he had to be the level headed one, but as much as he appreciated his best friend’s concern, Jace wasn’t making it easy for him. It just made it all the more painful.

To be perfectly honest, Alec was just as upset as he was. Months had passed since Alec had to watch the carriage that took his brother and sister away. Max had cried and hugged Alec as tightly as he could, telling him constantly that he would miss him, like they were never going to see each other again. Izzy didn’t say a word, but she grabbed his hand in both of hers, sliding a slip of paper into his palm. 

 _If you need a place to go_ , Izzy had written after Maryse climbed in after them and the carriage turned out of sight. _Come find me, big brother._

“No one in this entire town —no, the entire kingdom— is as talented as you are,” Jace continued to rant. “You don’t have to stay here and do whatever Robert and Maryse tell you to. You’re not a slave.”

“I know that, Jace.”

“Do you really? Because you’ve spent months cooped up in here and look paler than a ghost.”

“Then what should I do?” Alec demanded, throwing down the dress he’d been altering and leaping up from his work bench. He already knew that everything Jace said was true. He told it to himself all the time, but the dress shop and the way his parents treated him was all he’d ever known. How could he leave and become a burden to Izzy? Just last week, he tried to visit one of his good friends in town, Aline, but was so intimidated by the crowds that he immediately turned back. 

Better the devil he knew than the one he didn’t. 

Jace stared at him for a long moment before seeming to come to a decision. At last, he said,” All right then. Let’s run away.”

Alec blinked. “What?”

“Let’s run away, Alec. Right now,” Jace said again, starting to grin at the absurdity and recklessness of his plan. Because it _was_ stupid and reckless. 

There were witches and warlocks and whatever else out there, and it was only the two of them alone in the store workshop, Jace having taken the chance to sneak in after Alec’s parents left for another one of their fancy parties. 

“Where will we go?” Alec finally asked, smiling helplessly at how Jace beamed at him. 

He put a warm hand on his shoulder. “Anywhere you want. You’re my best friend and I’ve got your back, Lightwood.”

Alec glanced down at his shoes, mind spinning at the endless possibilities before him. It was scary, but strangely thrilling and exciting. “I—”

“This is all very sweet,” a voice interrupted. “But I’m afraid I must cut this touching moment short.”

Alec whirled around and found a man he’d never seen before, but who looked strangely familiar, sauntering into the workshop like he owned the place. He had locked the store up after letting Jace in and was on high alert as the intruder made his way toward them. He was a large man with dark eyes, and there was something dangerous and predatory in the way he moved and the sharpness of his smile. 

“Who the hell are you?” Jace snapped and Alec wanted to warn him not to antagonize the man, not to draw attention to himself when they didn’t know yet why he was there or what he was capable of, but he felt frozen. Like all he could do was watch this terrible scene unfold in front of him. 

The man’s smile widened. “Is this how you treat paying customers?”

“Are you?” Alec asked after swallowing hard and finding his voice again. Mostly to draw the man’s unnervingly intense attention away from Jace. 

“No,” the man said. “But I am looking for Robert and Maryse Lightwood.”

Alec shared a confused glance with Jace. What did this man want with his parents? “They’ve stepped out. but I can let them know you stopped by, Mr.—?”

The amusement on the man’s face turned feral. “So this is what they’ve betrayed me for?”

He waved his hand and Alec screamed as indescribable pain sent him crumpling to his knees, feeling as if his body was tearing itself apart. Dimly, as if far away, he could hear Jace shouting at the man and his own scream as he also fell to the floor, writhing. 

“Tell your parents Valentine Morgenstern is not one be mocked,” the man said as Alec’s body curled in on itself. “Although you won’t be able to mention you’re under a curse. That would be quite a shock to them, I imagine.”

The pain seemed to last for an eternity and when he finally looked up, the man was long gone. Alec reached up to touch his aching forehead, wondering what Morgenstern did to him and Jace, when he caught of his withered hand. Trembling, he trailed his fingers down his face and felt rough, wrinkled skin under his fingertips. 

“Jace!” he shouted and startled when an old man’s hoarse, croaking voice came out of his mouth. “Jace!”

From the place where Jace had been standing just a moment ago, there was a pile of clothes and a soft whimper came from them. Alec soon realized why when the pile moved and a dog stumbled unsteadily to its feet. It reached Alec’s hip, yellow the shade of Jace’s hair, with blue and brown eyes he’d recognize anywhere. 

Alec stared at it. “Jace, is that you?”

The dog wagged his tail and whined. 

“Oh god.”

Alec hurried to a large mirror hanging in the store front and found an old man staring back at him. 

At first glance, Alec would have assumed it was his grandfather from what little he remembered of him. But despite the white hair and wrinkles, everything from the eyes to the slant of his mouth was all Alec. He’d just been turned into an old man. A ninety year old man, judging by his leathery skin, visible veins, and knobbly knees. The one good thing was that he didn’t seem sickly or weak, just old. 

Jace pressed against his leg and Alec laughed, high and hysterical. He wanted a reason to run away and that was exactly what he got. He couldn’t possibly let his parents see him like this. He could all too easily picture Robert and Maryse not believing a word he said to them and throwing him out onto the streets, if they didn’t give him to the authorities first. 

“Don’t worry,” he said to Jace as he hobbled upstairs to pack his things, more in an attempt make himself feel better. “At least now we can go on the adventure we’ve always wanted and my parents will never find us.”

Despite the lack of eyebrows, the look Jace gave him spoke volumes. 

“Yes. It is unfortunate that you’ve been turned into a dog,” Alec agreed. “But this is more ideal than the orphanage, isn’t it?”

Alec threw on his coat, which fit more loosely now than it had before, and slipped his money pouch into his pocket as he limped his way to the kitchen, keeping a hand on the wall to avoid toppling over on his unsteady legs. Jace followed, accepting the tidbits of dried meat and cheese Alec gave him as he packed food for the journey. He also took one of his father’s canes, which wouldn’t do him as much good as it would for Alec anyway. 

“On the bright side, I still have all my teeth,” Alec said as he chewed on a sliver of an apple he’d bitten into. He paused, realizing that he was now talking to himself and not to Jace at all. Should he be concerned? Was age making him senile?

Jace huffed at him as if he could tell Alec was overthinking it, which made him smile. Maybe it should be a cause for concern, but he was an old man now and old people talked to themselves all the time. 

Coming to that firm conclusion, he closed up the shop and locked the door behind them. At this late hour, the streets were nearly deserted except for a wayward drunk or two, none of which paid an old man and his dog any attention. Besides, no sane person ever stayed out late in fear of running into Magnus Bane. 

A part of him wished he had written a note to Izzy and Max, but Alec knew that his parents would’ve never passed it on to them. No, he’d write to the both of them when he and Jace reached their destination, wherever that may be. They walked for some time, passing through the town square, across the bridge, and into the wild countryside where Magnus Bane was said to live in his moving castle, billowing black smoke as it went. 

“Good thing I’m like this then,” Alec told Jace. “The warlock only wants beautiful young virgins, which I’m not.”

He’d never seen a dog roll its eyes at him before, but Jace seemed to manage just fine. 

“Oh shut up, you.”

Alec kept walking until night fell and it was too dark to see where he was doing. He didn’t want to stop, but his back started to ache and he was forced to rest. Alec curled up against a large tree and Jace climbed into his lap, licking his hand when he ran it through his soft fur. Alec leaned back against the rough bark, petting Jace absently as he stared out over the river with their little town in the distance. He couldn’t help wondering how Izzy and Max would react when he was declared missing, or whether Maryse and Robert would even notice he was gone. 

“Maybe that’s a little unfair,” he said. “I know they care about me in their own way, but it’s one thing to care about someone, and quite another to treat them like property.”

He dozed off like that, Jace nestled in his lap and Alec’s coat draped over them both. 


	2. Chapter 2

An old tattered scarecrow with a shriveled turnip head hovered over Alec when he woke up the next morning. He squinted at it and wondered if someone was playing a trick on him or if this was a figment of his imagination. Unfortunately, that proved not to be the case when he realized that the scarecrow was really standing by its own power, apparently oblivious to Jace barking at it. His hackles were raised, paw firmly planted as he positioned himself between the ratty old thing and Alec. 

“Seeing you would’ve been more of a shock yesterday,” Alec said to the scarecrow, trying not to think about how terrified he was of the things as a child and cried whenever he saw one. “I don’t suppose you know a place where we can stay? I’d like to avoid sleeping outside again.”

His back ached more now than it did yesterday. 

The scarecrow paused for a long moment and hopped a few paces up the road before it turned back, as if waiting for them to follow it. Alec slowly rose to his feet with a soft noise of pain and shrugged his coat back on. He was exhausted from all the walking he’d already done the day before and moved at a more sedate pace as he dragged himself uphill to wherever or whoever the scarecrow was leading them to. 

He was so focused on keeping one foot in front of the other that he didn’t immediately notice that the grinding and puffing weren’t just his creaking old joints and panting breaths. With a sinking heart, Alec looked up and realized Magnus Bane’s castle was making its way toward them, rumbling and groaning as it moved down the hill. 

Jace snarled like he wanted to tear the scarecrow apart with his teeth, but Alec decided he was just too tired to care. He could put up with the warlock just as long as he got a chair and a fireplace to warm up by. 

“It’s fine, Jace,” he said and held his walking stick high over his head, shouting at the moving castle. “Stop!”

It stuttered to a halt above them and seemed to wait patiently while Alec climbed up toward it. Honestly, he was surprised it had even listened to him at all, and circled around the monstrosity of rusty metal until he noticed a small back door. It was strangely ordinary, but he was also entering a warlock’s domain without permission, so he cautiously opened it and peered inside. Jace immediately squeezed past, scenting the air and looking for any possible threats. 

Alec turned back to the scarecrow, which stared at him with its beady eyes. “Thanks for your help, but you won’t fit in here. It’s better you find a field to watch over somewhere else.”

He did feel a little guilty closing the door on the poor scarecrow, but being cursed with an old man’s body had been quite a trial and not even Magnus Bane was going to deter him from resting. But as he ducked through the doorway, he paused at the sight that greeted him. The inside of the castle was even less impressive than the outside. For being a warlock’s lair, it looked more like a cozy little cottage than a lair of darkness and death. 

And Alec, who had always lived in his parents’ beautiful and cold house, finally understood why his friends always loved going home at the end of the school day. Magnus Bane was also apparently very meticulous for a warlock. Alec expected to see a horde of spell books and bottles and whatever it was warlocks used strewn across every surface in messy piles. But despite the ugly appearance of the castle’s exterior, everything on the inside was so artfully arranged that it looked exactly the way he imagined a real home should. 

Then Alec caught sight of the fireplace and hobbled as fast he could toward it. He sat in the chair Jace nudged toward him and sank into it with a sigh, Jace curling up at his feet and laying his head down on Alec’s muddy shoes. 

Unfortunately, his relief was short-lived when a voice suddenly spoke up behind him. “Who are you? What are you doing here?” 

Jace lifted his head as a girl with a startling shade of red hair came down the stairs, and Alec glared at him as his tail started wagging. Some guard dog he was. “Is that any way to speak to a tired old man?” Alec asked the girl and was pleased she looked properly chastised. 

“You just surprised me,” she said defensively. “Are you here to see Magnus?”

Alec frowned. He initially just wanted a bed to sleep in for the night, but after thinking about it, maybe Bane could break Valentine’s curse on him too. “Yes,” he said at last. “Yes, that’s right. Is he here?”

The girl didn’t seem all too pleased by this development and was obviously struggling with finding a polite way to throw him out. “Magnus won’t be back until tomorrow.”

“Then I’ll wait,” he said. 

The girl looked annoyed now. “Maybe I can help you instead. I’m Clary, Magnus’ apprentice.”

“I’m afraid I only have business with the warlock,” Alec said, doing his best Maryse Lightwood impression and then ignoring Clary completely, settling back in his chair and closing his eyes. 

He heard Clary sigh and Jace huff in agreement before hearing them climb the stairs. He might’ve even heard the girl tell Jace he was in dire need of a bath and his yelp of surprise, but then he was falling asleep and the rest of the world faded away. 

— 

“No!” 

Alec’s eyes flew open as he struggled awake from a nightmare in the middle of the night, but one he was already forgetting. Heart pounding in his chest, he glanced around and realized that this wasn’t his bedroom. This wasn’t his home in Alicante at all. He squinted at the faint glow of the fireplace, the flames barely more than embers now, and sat shivering in his coat before slowly remembering where he was and why. He was in Magnus Bane’s castle. He stuck in an old man’s body because Valentine Morgenstern claimed his parents somehow betrayed him. 

As he properly took in his surroundings, he rubbed absently at his throbbing knee. There was no sign of Jace or the girl Clary, so he assumed they must still be sleeping upstairs. Alec groaned softly as he unfolded himself from the chair, feeling every aching pain as his body protested the movement, and stumbled to the fireplace. He scraped the ashes around those few desperate embers clinging to life and added a couple logs as he stoked the flames. 

He warmed his hands on the steadily growing fire, blinking at the light it gave off. Now that he wasn’t distracted with traveling as far away from his hometown as he could and keeping an eye on Jace, he started to wonder what his parents were doing at this very moment. Were they angry that he left? Were they even worried about him?

 _Probably not_ , he decided. They were probably too distracted with their parties to even notice that he was gone. 

Alec had always been a disappointment to them, either for never meeting their expectations or never being interested in pretty girls the way other young men his age were. And although he never acted on it, he had grown familiar with the disgust on his father’s face when he thought Alec wasn’t looking. The only reason he stayed with them for as long as he did was to be there for Izzy and Max. Because his siblings were gone and he was now stuck like this, there was a strange sense of freedom he’d never experienced before. It was like a heavy weight had been finally lifted off his shoulders and he could breathe again. He didn’t have to be exploited anymore. He didn’t have to lie about who he really was. He was free. 

“And I don’t even care that I’m old,” he said aloud. 

“You should care,” a voice said, sounding annoyed. 

Alec jerked his head up and looked around for the source of that voice, but not seeing anyone. “Who said that?”

“I did.”

Alec had the horrible realization that the voice was coming from the fireplace. He hadn’t noticed before, but now that he was looking more closely, he saw that the fire had smaller flames within it that could almost resemble two eyes and a mouth. Even the outline of its face seemed to look like hair. 

“I must be going crazy,” Alec muttered to himself. 

“Everyone’s a little crazy,” the fire agreed. “But I’m very real. You can call me Catarina.”

“Alec. Um, what are you exactly?”

The fire, or Catarina, makes an affronted noise. “Quite rude, aren’t you? I’m a fire demon and that spell you’re under has shortened your lifespan by seventy years or so. Not a good thing, if you ask me.”

Alec felt a cold sense of dread because he never encountered a fire demon before, but there was a flare of hope too. “You can tell?”

“I should hope so, otherwise I’m not a very good fire demon,” Catarina answered. “It’s a pretty strong one too, by the looks of it. It’ll take some time to figure out how to break it.”

The disappointment sat heavy in his stomach. “Oh,” he said faintly. 

He must’ve looked rather pitiful, considering the sympathetic look he received from a furnace of all things. “But how about this? I’ll break the spell _if_ you break the contract I have with Magnus.”

Alec eyed the fire demon suspiciously. “Really. And how do I know I can trust you?”

He didn’t realize a fire demon made entirely of flames was able to shrug, but Catarina accomplished it. “I suppose you can’t, but don’t you feel sorry for me? I have to do everything around here, you know. I keep the castle moving, but I'm not allowed to leave this place. I haven’t even been outside.”

“That’s probably a good thing,” Alec said before he could think better of it. “You’d probably eat some unsuspecting person’s heart if you had the chance.”

“No I wouldn’t!” The demon paused. “Well, I probably would, but that’s not the point. I want my freedom back and I need you to help me. Please?”

Alec considered this for a long moment. He supposed he couldn’t fault someone for wanting their well-deserved freedom. Even if that someone happened to be a fire demon. “So long as you promise not to hurt anyone. Ever.”

“Ever is relative,” Catarina pointed out. When Alec gave her an unimpressed look, she hurried to add, “This may come as a shock to you, but I’m not the one without a heart. Magnus is.”

Well, yes. Alec gathered that already. Anyone who stole the hearts or souls of virgins can’t be a very good person. “Still, I want you to promise me.”

“All right, all right. I promise not to hurt anyone when I’m free again.”

It still seemed like a bad idea, but he needed help breaking this spell on him. If a fire demon couldn’t reverse whatever Morgenstern did to him, no one could. There was also another bonus of him not having to depend on Bane for help. “So what are the terms of your contract?”

“You have to find out for yourself. I’m not allowed to tell you.”

Alec was tempted to throw a pitcher of water on her, feeling cheated, but a bargain was a bargain. “Then you need to find a reason to tell the warlock why I’m here.”

“Hey, wait a minute—” 

“I’ll leave these here for you,” Alec said, stacking firewood as close to her as he could without them actually catching on fire. “If you could burn the rest of the night, that’d be great.”

“Hey!” 

“Goodnight.” He ignored the fire demon’s protests and shuffled back to his chair, dropping down into it and closing his eyes, asleep in moments. 

—

The next morning, Alec opened his eyes and this found a little girl peering into his face. She had big brown eyes and dark hair pulled into twin braids. She was also wearing a fuchsia colored dress and had a matching silk scarf tired around her neck. 

“Morning,” he croaked at her, stretching his stiff muscles after a whole night spent in his chair. “I’m Alec. What’s your name?”

She didn’t reply, but she tugged on his sleeve and pointed to the kitchen. 

“You’re hungry?” He smiled when she nodded. “Then let’s get breakfast started.”

Alec hunted down some bacon and eggs, then searched through the cabinets for a frying pan and tea kettle. Catarina eyed him when he approached her with them, the disdain clear on her face like he was brandishing weapons instead. 

“I’m not going to let you use those on me, even if Madzie is hungry.”

“She only lets Magnus use her for cooking,” Clary explained as she and Jace came down the stairs. 

Alec waited until the others turned away before speaking to Catarina in a low voice. “Unless you want me to tell Bane about a deal we made, I suggest you help me make breakfast.”

“Are you threatening me?” Catarina asked, more impressed than actually threatened. 

He shrugged. “Want to test me on that?”

Catarina made no protests, but Alec noticed the little girl Madzie staring at him. He quickly turned away and set up the frying pan and started cooking the bacon, hoping that she wouldn't say anything to Bane about anything she might’ve heard. As Alec cracked eggs in the bacon grease, the back door Alec entered through last night turned black and a man stepped through. Apparently this was Magnus Bane, because blue sparks danced through the air around him. He was dressed in a beautiful blue velvet coat and had dark makeup smudged around his eyes, the way Alec pictured a typical warlock to look. Not that he imagined warlocks all the time or anything. 

Alec met Bane’s gaze and frowned at the way he stared at him. A smile finally made its way on the warlock’s frustratingly handsome face. “Catarina, my dear,” he said with a voice like velvet, but even more extravagant than his coat. “I do believe our household has grown since yesterday.”

“They forced their way in,” Catarina complained, which Alec supposed was fair. 

“And yet there are wards in place,” Magnus said. “So the only way they could’ve gotten in is if you let them.”

Annoyed with being talked about while he was still in the room, Alec went back to frying the eggs and refused to acknowledge Bane, even when he stepped right in his personal space. 

“Have we met?” the warlock asked curiously. 

“Oh, so now you’re talking me?” Alec snapped as he split the food between several plates. 

Jace seemed to notice his bad mood, because he left Clary’s side for the first time since last night and put himself between him and Bane. 

“My apologizes,” Bane said. He did sound regretful, but Alec refused to fall for it. He was sure warlocks lied all the time to give people a false sense of security before they took advantage of them. “I was just startled by the sight of strangers in my home. I’m Magnus Bane. And you are?”

“His name’s Alec,” Catarina said, the filthy traitor. 

“He said he has business with you,” Clary added and Alec turned to glare at her. She shied away, taken aback by his reaction. 

“I see,” Bane said with a smile. Before Alec realized what he was about to do or could even step out of the way, the warlock reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. A jolt raced up his spine and he jerked away, clenching his fists at his sides as Jace snarled and bared his teeth. 

If Bane was bothered by their reactions, he didn’t show it. He simply stepped away and headed up the stairs. “Perhaps we can discuss this after breakfast.”

Alec ignored him and passed the girls their plates, wishing he thought things through before agreeing to help Catarina break her contract with Bane. From this first meeting, he could already tell that the warlock was going to drive him crazy before he figured it out.


	3. Chapter 3

Alec didn’t realize it until he was already halfway through breakfast, but his aches and pains were gone. He moved easier than he had in a long time, even as a young man, because he spent hours in the workshop day after day. But his hands were itching to do _something_ and he was determined not to wait around until Bane came back downstairs after disappearing in the bathroom. After washing the dishes, he decided the rest of Bane’s strange castle could use some tidying and got to work. 

After chasing the others off, he started to dust and sweep and mop, overturning everything in his path to reach every nook and cranny. Clary and Jace wisely stayed out of his way, while Catarina warily watched him scrape out a giant pile of ashes from the fireplace. The only person who didn’t seem alarmed by his warpath and who actually tried to help him was Madzie, who followed Alec around like a baby chick followed its mother, obediently doing as he asked, opening windows or moving something aside so he could attack every speck of dust with a broom. 

There was a faint chime as the door changed color again, this time to a light green, causing Catarina to shout, “Kingsbury door!” 

Clary swerved to avoid Alec as she ran over to throw open the door, warmly greeting the stern faced woman standing on the other side. “Good morning, Mrs. Herondale. I have your potion ready for you.”

The older woman didn’t even bother to return her smile, ignoring her completely to stare at Jace and then Alec. She was an elegant woman, formidable and stoic despite her smaller stature. “Who is this?”

“Oh!” Clary glanced over her shoulder at him and he frowned back at her, running his hand over Jace’s head as the dog brushed against his hip. “This is—”

“My guest,” Bane said as he sauntered down the stairs, pristine and hair perfectly styled. He was dressed in fancy grey suit with a ruffled blue shirt, grey boots, and several glittery rings on his fingers. “He came quite a ways to visit me and needed a place to stay.”

Mrs. Herondale held out her hand and waited for Alec to shake it. “Imogen Herondale. It’s a pleasure.”

“Alexander Lightwood. Nice to meet you,” he said out of habit, reflexively introducing himself the way his mother drilled into him from an early age. 

The old woman’s eyes shone with interest as he freed his hand from her grasp. “Lightwood? Are you related to the Lightwood dressmakers in Alicante?” 

“Yes,” he said, berating himself for offering his real name so easily, when he should’ve chosen a fake one. 

“I’ve ordered a number of dresses from your shop,” Herondale said. “It’s very excellent work.”

Alec started to feel uncomfortable under her shrewd gaze, while at the same time oddly pleased by her words. Kingsbury was the capital city and where his parents liked to visit the most, drawn by the glittering socialites and their extravagant parties. To have someone like Herondale praise his work was quite a compliment. “I’m hardly responsible for that.”

“I disagree,” Herondale told him. “I’ve seen the talent that went into making those dresses, and it’s nothing short of magical.”

As Alec pondered those words, Clary and the older woman made their transaction and Herondale finally left with one last unnerving stare back at him. Alec breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed behind her and scratched Jace behind his ears to hide it. 

“Imogen used to be a witch,” Bane said as he suddenly appeared beside Alec, causing him to jump. “But she gave up her powers so she could grow old with her husband.”

He didn’t respond. Mostly because he didn’t know what to say, but also because his joints were starting to ache again. He nodded and started to move away, but stopped when Bane placed a gentle hand on his elbow. 

“You don’t have to do chores, Alexander. You’re not a servant.”

Alec yanked his arm away. “I know that. I just need to keep busy.”

Bane shrugged, like this was perfectly understandable or even reasonable. “Then feel free to stay as long as you like and clean to your heart’s content.” To Clary, he said, “Biscuit, I’m stepping out.”

“What about Madzie’s lessons?” she asked, petting Jace as he pressed his nose against her wrist. 

“There’s something I need to look into first.” Magnus glanced at Alec then, his dark eyes studying him in a way he didn’t like. Thankfully the warlock turned away and knelt in front of Madzie, promising her that he would be back soon. She nodded solemnly in response, which made him smile and he tapped the tip of her nose, the movement causing his hand to sparkle with all the rings he wore. Bane stood and headed to the door, which turned black just as he pulled it open. Alec tried to catch a glimpse through the doorway, but all he could see was complete darkness before Bane pulled it closed. 

Alec frowned as the door turned back to green and glanced over at Clary. “Where does the black door lead to?”

Clary shrugged. “Magnus never told me. But no one is supposed to go through that one except for him.”

Apparently there were a lot of things Magnus did that no one else was supposed to do. It made Alec scoff and he went back to cleaning, much to the dismay of everyone else. 

By noon, the lower part of the castle was spotless. After Alec fed everyone lunch, he moved upstairs to continue with his cleaning spree, only to meet some resistance. Clary refused to let Alec in her room until she sorted through her things and Magnus’ door was locked, but otherwise Alec sorted through Madzie’s room, making her bed and putting away her toys. Judging from the impressive amount of clothes and lavish princess style bed, it was obvious that Bane spoiled her without remorse and caused Alec to smile in amusement. 

When he moved on to the bathroom, there were bottles and jars of different liquids and creams lining the shelves. He tried to organize them as best he could, despite not really knowing where anything was supposed to go. There was also the velvet coat Bane was wearing before left carelessly on the floor and Alec picked it up, feeling the material between his forefinger and thumb. 

It was softer than anything he’d felt before and was the prettiest shade of blue. He took it with him downstairs and hunted down the sewing kit. He also found a stationary set, and decided that writing his brother and sister and letting them know he was okay was the least he could do. Alec wrote two very brief but heartfelt letters to Izzy and Max. There wasn’t much he could say without mentioning his curse, but he told them that he missed them and hoped they were working hard at their apprenticeships, and that he had to leave for a little while but wanted to see them again soon. 

Clary, who was taking Jace with her to visit her friend Simon in Market Chipping, offered to mail the letters for him and was obviously pleased when a surprised Alec thanked her. He watched with interest as the castle door turned blue and caught a glimpse of a quaint little town before they stepped through. He spent the rest of the evening with Madzie and Catarina, embroidering the sleeves of Bane’s coat while telling them stories about his mischievous siblings and the countless times he had to get them out of trouble and then took the blame for it. 

Later when Clary and Jace got home, Alec put Madzie to bed and shoved a sofa beneath the stairs, creating a makeshift bedroom for himself. He left another stack of firewood for Catarina before burrowing into the sofa, pulling a blanket up his shoulders and falling asleep. 

—

“Did Bane come back in last night?” Alec asked the next morning, while he made pancakes for breakfast. 

That seemed to amuse Catarina, who teasingly asked, “Why are you so curious about him?” 

“I’m not,” Alec bit out viciously. Because he wasn’t. _He wasn’t._  

“He’s upstairs in the bathroom, wasting all my hot water and preening in front of the mirror like a vain peacock. I'm convinced that the day he forgets to do that will be the day he's truly fallen in love with someone other than himself. When are you going to break our contract?” 

Alec flipped a pancake. “I’ve been busy. Besides you haven’t told me anything about it.”

She made a rude noise that sounded suspiciously like a raspberry. “I already gave you a hint or two.”

“You need to be more obvious with them,” he said and stacked the pancake on a rapidly growing pile. 

“Telling you when I’m giving you hints is supplying information, and the contract prevents me from doing that.”

Alec was about to reply when the castle door turned red and rattled as someone beat at it frantically with their fist. 

“Alicante door!” Catarina shouted, but it seemed that Clary and Jace were still asleep, there was no sign of Madzie, and Bane was a lost cause, too preoccupied with his beauty regimen. “Why are you just standing around? Answer it!”

That caused Alec to frown, but he didn’t protest as he set aside the frying pan and opened the door. He discovered Maryse standing on the other side of it and froze as his mother’s cold eyes glanced over him disapprovingly, without any sign of recognition. “Are you the Wizard Pendragon?” she asked. 

“I—” Alec shook his head, mind reeling. “What?”

“You are a wizard, aren’t you? I need you to find my son.”

“Your son,” he repeated. It should’ve pleased Alec that his mother was even looking for him at all, but he felt unnerved by it instead. 

Maryse started to look irritated. “My shop is losing business by the minute and I need to find out where my son has run off to. Will you help me or are you going to keep wasting my time?”

Alec’s heart plummeted, realizing that his mother wasn’t worried about him. Of course all she cared about was the profit his dresses made for her and Robert. It shouldn’t have disappointed him, he was old enough to know better, but it still hurt. It was more painful than if she slapped him. 

“I can’t help you,” he said and shut the door in her face. When the pounding started up again, he turned the knob and the red door changed blue. Alec pressed his forehead against the smooth wood and swallowed hard, wondering why he was so shocked. He always knew his parents resented him as the eldest son and never truly loved him. He just wanted to believe otherwise. 

“Who was at the door?” Clary asked, her hand on Jace’s neck as they made their way downstairs. Madzie trailed after them, staring at Alec with concern.

He wiped at his eyes and straightened, shoving the pain and despair deep inside of himself, so that when he finally turned around, his eyes were dry and face carefully set in calm mask. “Just someone looking for the Wizard Pendragon. Know anything about it?”

Clary suddenly looked embarrassed. “Magnus goes by different aliases when there are people he wants to avoid. Like those rumors about him eating hearts? I started those." She paused. "Did the king’s messenger stop by again?”

Jace approached Alec, nudging his nose against his leg. He reached out to run his fingers through his fur and shook his head. “No. It wasn't anyone important. Now who wants pancakes?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Alexander,” Bane said three days later, wearing an expression that was both amused and alarmed. “All of your moping around is breaking my heart. Did something happen?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kind feedback! It really means a lot to me, especially considering how near and dear this story is to my heart. I hope you continue to enjoy it, especially with some familiar faces we get to see in this chapter. 
> 
> Thanks again!

“Alexander,” Bane said three days later, wearing an expression that was both amused and alarmed. “All of your moping around is breaking my heart. Did something happen?”

Alec, who sat by the window while he embroidered the warlock’s blue velvet coat, glared up at him and was about to make a scathing comment about Bane minding his own business, but Catarina spoke up before he could. “You don’t have much of a heart left to break.”

The warlock shot her a warning look, but Alec had already turned his attention back to his needle and thread. Despite his old and wrinkled hands, he was quite proud of his work and how intricate the gold flowers and vines were that crawled up each sleeve. There was still the collar and skirt to finish, but Bane hadn’t asked for the coat back, so Alec continued with his progress. The truth was, he was frustrated by his situation and kept himself busy to keep his mind off of it. He cleaned the already spotless castle, cooked meals for everyone, and embroidered Bane’s coat whenever he had a free moment. Catarina constantly asked when he would break her contract with the warlock, which resulted in him hiding upstairs and organizing the bathroom, despite Bane asking him again and again not to. 

The day before he unearthed spools of fabric in Clary’s room and planned to make a couple new dresses for the girls, if only to give his hands something to do. Otherwise his thoughts returned to his mother’s visit from the other day and he didn’t want to fall apart in front of the warlock. Granted, it wasn’t a very exciting life by any means, but it was a lot more interesting than his previous one. And sometimes the people who showed up at the castle door for a spell or a charm mistook Alec for a warlock himself, which Bane seemed to find incredibly funny. 

“Alec,” Madzie said from where she sat next to him. holding up the bit of yellow material he gave her to practice her stitches on. They were crooked and uneven, but his had been worse when he was her age, so he smiled encouragingly at her. 

“You’re doing great,” he said and received an answering smile. The more time he spent with Madzie, the more she spoke in his presence and that cheered him up considerably. According to Catarina, Madzie had been abandoned as a baby on Bane’s doorstep and Clary showed up a year or two ago, soaked to the bone with rainwater and a terrified look on her face. Bane took the girls in without question, taking them both under his wing and teaching them as his apprentices. Alec didn’t know what to make of it, because it proved all the rumors about the warlock were wrong and that he wasn’t as heartless as Catarina claimed him to be. 

He glanced up at Bane and noticed the way he stared at him, which caused him to frown, suddenly defensive. “What?”

Alec tensed when the warlock invaded his personal space, but all he did was gently tug the coat away and set it aside. “Let’s go, Alexander,” he said, holding out a jeweled hand.

“Go where?” 

Bane was a lot stronger than he looked, because when Alec took his hand he was startled by the ease in which the warlock pulled him to his feet, although it really shouldn’t surprise him. Despite the purple glitter shimmering around his eyes and the silk purple suit he wore, Bane’s strong arms and wide shoulders were still plainly visible. 

“Alexander.”

Alec blinked and realized he’d been staring like a complete idiot, instead of paying attention to a word Bane had been saying. “Sorry what?”

Bane smiled, and while it wasn’t mocking in the least, Alec didn’t appreciate the sight of it. “I thought a day in Market Chipping would be nice. Care to join me?”

 _Him? Spend the day with Magnus Bane?_ Alec struggled to come up with an excuse and said, “We can’t just leave Madzie—”

“I can watch her,” Clary offered from where she sat at the wooden bench, which served as both a dining table and a work space for the magic users in the castle. She was working on some kind of spell that calmed the ocean waves while the fishermen were out on their boats. Jace lay curled on the floor beside her, but he looked up the moment both men stood. 

Alec turned pleading eyes to Catarina, but found her starting back with a pointed look on her face, as if to say, _What are you waiting for_?

Perhaps she wanted him to get information out of Bane on how to break their contract, he thought, and finally nodded at the warlock. “All right.”

The warlock seemed strangely pleased by this, although Alec couldn’t understand why. He kissed Madzie’s cheek and promised to bring back presents for everyone when they got back. Then Bane held out his arm to Alec, who took it only because he didn’t know how to refuse. The smell of sandalwood and other fragrances were strong now that they were standing so close to each other, but it wasn’t unpleasant. He let Bane lead him through the blue door to Market Chipping, he found himself stepping out of a small pink house right into the middle of a busy part of town. 

“A good friend of mine owns a lovely little cafe not far from here,” Bane said as they walked, pushing through the crowds, the streets filled with carriages and trolleys. “She makes the best cream cakes. You’ll love it.”

Normally, all the people around them would’ve intimidated Alec after the months he spent isolated from most everyone he knew, but the sights and smells that bombarded his senses as they wandered through town strangely made him feel at ease. They walked into a modest but very elegant cafe, with stained glass lights hanging from the ceiling, lace curtains, and clean white table cloths. There were a few other people dining there already, but overall it was quiet and peaceful, which Alec liked. Then the owner, a pregnant woman with wavy brown hair, an oddly familiar face, and beautiful grey eyes, came up to greet them. 

Bane brightened at the sight of her. “Tessa, it’s so good to see you! Allow me to introduce Alexander Lightwood. Alexander, this is Theresa Gray.”

“You can call me Alec,” he said.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she replied with a warm smile and shook his hand before turning to Bane. “Hello, Magnus. Interesting company you’re keeping.”

Alec scowled, wondering at her tone, until he realized he and Magnus still had their arms linked together and jerked away, but the warlock shrugged.

“I like to keep my life exciting,” Bane said breezily. “And where is your handsome husband?”

Tessa smiled as she seated them at a table near the back, sending Alec a reassuring look. “Will and Jem have some business to attend to, but they should be back later this evening.”

“I’m sorry to miss them,” Bane said, sounding truly regretful. Alec frowned at him, wondering how he could say those things about a married man right in front of his wife. _Was the warlock entirely without scruples?_ Then he suddenly turned serious. “They’re not going to find him if he doesn’t want to be found.”

Tessa’s eyes flickered briefly to Alec before she lowered her voice, eyes hard and dangerous. “They’ll find him, because I’m going after him myself if they don’t.”

The corner of Bane’s mouth curved. “I pity the poor fool.”

“As glad as I am to see you,” she said, her voice still low. “There are some people who won’t be if they knew you were here. Be careful, Magnus.”

“I always am, my dear,” he said and carelessly waved a hand. 

Tessa shook her head, the way Izzy always did when she was annoyed with Alec, but she brought trays of tea, buttery scones with clotted cream and jam, delicate tea sandwiches, and her famous cream cakes. The tea was delicious, rose-scented and smooth. The scones and sandwiches were also amazing, but the best was the cream cakes, fluffy and sweet and melting in his mouth with every bite. 

Alec glanced at Bane and noticed he was being watched a little too closely. He dabbed at his mouth with his napkin, feeling a little self-conscious. “What?”

A flash of embarrassment crossed the warlock’s face, which greatly amused him. “Oh, nothing. Have you been to Market Chipping before?”

“A few times,” Alec admitted. Before he even realized what he was doing, he told Bane about how his mother was born in Market Chipping and she used to leave him with her parents when he was very young. He barely remembered them and the only memories he did have weren’t flattering in the least, but he had vivid memories of their library, which had been filled from floor to ceiling with books. Often he would hide there, finding sanctuary among the bookcases when his grandparents became too overbearing. “But I lived in Kingsbury with my parents and then we moved to Alicante when I was seven.”

Tessa came over and offered to bring them a second helping, but he and Bane politely declined. Alec was so full he was sure the warlock would have to roll him back to the castle. He started to draw out his money pouch and hoped what he had would cover their meal, but both Tessa and Bane dove at Alec and forced him to put it away. 

“Don’t even think about paying, Magnus Bane,” Tessa said in warning. 

Bane snapped his fingers and looked immensely pleased with himself. “Too late.”

Tessa tried to argue, but he refused to take his money back and insisted she use it for the child growing inside of her. She finally accepted defeat, but insisted that he and Alec came by to her shop again soon to see Will and Jem. Bane promised they would and again offered his arm to Alec, who took it. 

“She was nice,” he offered and shyly ducked his head when Bane smiled at him. 

“I’m glad you came with me. Did you enjoy yourself?”

“Yes,” Alec admitted and was surprised to discover that it was true. “Thank you, Bane.”

Bane’s smile turned shy, boyish and charming, and Alec quickly looked away. He knew better than to be deceived by this warlock of all people, who was feared by everyone and notorious for causing chaos wherever he went. So what if Bane was the most beautiful man Alec had ever laid eyes on? Who cared that he was obviously so touched that Alec said his name for the first time? Not Alec. Bane was a terrible person, and Alec was only sticking around to figure out a way to break his contract with Catarina. 

“I never asked if you have family in Market Chipping,” Alec said, hoping to get even a little bit of information. Maybe the warlock would tell him about his family, or why he even made the contract in the first place. 

Bane opened his mouth to reply, but a woman with long black hair wearing a stunning red dress suddenly threw herself into his arms, knocking Alec aside to kiss him. Bane quickly pushed her away and shot Alec an apologetic glance. but he ignored it, because he didn’t care if the warlock wanted to kiss this strange woman. It didn’t matter to him. 

“Long time no see,” the woman said in a sultry voice. “Your father sends his regards.”

Bane’s eyes widened at that, but his response was politely frigid. “Camille. What an unpleasant surprise.”

The woman, Camille, ignored that remark and turned her attention to Alec instead. Her glance over him was cruel and mocking, making him feel plain and frumpy in his simple clothes. “What a sorry state this one is in. You sure know to pick them, Magnus.”

Face burning with anger, Alec brushed her aside and headed back to the castle. He didn’t remember exactly where it was and he regretted forgetting his walking cane as soon when his knee flared up with pain, but he refused to stop. He couldn’t bear to look at Camille a moment longer than he had to, even when he heard the warlock snarl something angrily at her and his footsteps race after him. 

“Alexander!” 

He kept limping, refusing to turn around as Bane called after him. He wouldn’t even look his way when the warlock caught up to him, insisting that he and Camille were ancient history and there was nothing between them anymore. Alec threw open the castle door, startling Clary and Madzie, who were pouring over a spell book. Jace immediately knew something was wrong and followed him to the kitchen. Alec’s hands were shaking as he poured himself a glass of water when a sudden jolt of pain shot through his chest, making him drop the cup. It shattered into pieces, but he managed to jump out of its way and doubled over, his lungs on fire and his heart feeling like it might burst out of his chest. His left arm hurt and the tips of his fingers were completely numb. He couldn’t breathe.

Somewhere far away, beyond the ringing in his ears, he could hear Clary was asking him what was wrong. Jace was barking and Catarina was shouting for Bane. The edge of his vision darkened and Alec wondered if his heart was failing him, when strong arms pulled him against a firm chest. 

“I’m here, Alexander,” Bane said as blue sparks danced from his hands, Madzie hovering behind him with a worried look on her young face. 

Alec wanted to reassure her, but he didn’t want Bane’s magic anywhere near him and tried to twist away from it. But the pain was spreading everywhere and he instead grabbed onto Bane’s wrist as he fought desperately to breathe. Was he dying? Was he really going to die in an old man’s body, without ever seeing Izzy and Max again?

“I don’t want to die,” Alec gasped out, realizing the sudden wetness on his face were tears. “I don’t want to die.”

“You’re not going to die,” Bane said. “I’ve got you, darling. You’re safe.”

Gentle fingers brushed his forehead, pressing against his temples, before the pain eased and he could catch his breath. He lay there panting for some time before he looked up and startled, realized Bane’s typically dark eyes were a golden amber. Alec wrenched himself away and threw himself in a chair in front of the fireplace, not responding to anyone, even Madzie. He hunched his shoulders when he felt Bane come up behind him, but the warlock thankfully didn’t try to touch him. He simply placed a blanket over him and pushed a glass of water into his hand. 

“Drink that,” Bane said and Alec nodded, only because he was too tired to argue. 

He waited until Bane had gone upstairs and everyone else was too distracted to hear, before speaking to Catarina in a soft whisper, “Is there anything you get out of this contract with Bane?”

“I wouldn’t have agreed to it if I didn’t,” Catarina said, which explained nothing and everything all at the same time. 


	5. Chapter 5

That night, Alec dreamed of a memory he had nearly forgotten. He was a child again and his father carried him on his back while speaking to his mother, their voices low as he dozed between consciousness and sleep. 

“We need to leave Kingsbury. The Circle won’t rest until they kill everyone who turned their backs on him,” Maryse insisted and Alec found himself wondering who they were talking about.

“My home is here,” Robert said. 

“Our son is more important than the Lightwood estate, Robert. We almost lost him today.”

“Maryse—”

“The Circle knows where we are, so who’s to say they won’t come after us again?” she asked, cutting him off before he could finish. “I won’t risk Alec’s life. I’d sooner die than let that happen.”

Then the vision faded away and Alec woke up, disorientated and confused. It left him in a foul temper and he spent days afterward attacking his chores with a vengeance, snapping at everyone and everything in his way except for Madzie. Even Catarina cowered in her grate in the hopes of avoiding his bad mood. Finally, Bane was forced to rescue their household by sending Alec out the green door to Kingsbury with his cane and a money purse that bulged with coins, telling him to keep himself occupied for the afternoon.

“You’re not allowed to come home until you’ve cooled off,” he said, leaning casually against the door frame in the obvious ploy of preventing Alec back in. “Take Madzie, if you need the company.”

Alec soon realized this was a particularly clever tactic on Bane’s part, because Madzie was the one person he couldn’t bully and obediently took his hand when he held it out to her. After walking around the corner, he discovered a small bookstore nestled between two large buildings, the faded green sign a stark contrast to the other shops around it. 

“I just want to take a look around, and then we can visit some other places,” Alec said to Madzie, who nodded her agreement. 

“We’re closed,” a grumpy voice snarled from the back room as they entered the shop, the bell over the door cheerfully signaled their presence. 

It seemed in poor taste to point out that the front door was left unlocked and the owner should’ve been aware of it if he didn’t want anyone to come in. Alec decided a little exploring until they were thrown out couldn’t hurt despite the warning, and led Madzie through the bookshelves. A blue book with gold lettering on the cover turned out to be a collection of children’s stories and he picked it up, flipping through the pages to find beautiful illustrations Madzie also seemed to like. He let her hold on to it and searched through another bookcase, catching sight of a book with a black cover and silver lettering. It was filled with poetry, but the poems had strange phrases that didn’t make any sense to him, and he pondered over them just as a man in a green shirt and cream colored trousers stormed out of the back, an annoyed look on his face. 

But then the man caught sight of Madzie and his expression softened all at once. He crouched down and took one of her tiny hands in his. “Hello, poppet. What are you doing here?”

Madzie held up the book. “Shopping. Alec is sad.”

The man turned to him with a resigned expression and stood. “Oh really. Let me guess, Magnus sent you here to annoy me.”

“You know him?” Alec asked, although he supposed he should’ve guessed. Apparently, Magnus was too much of a social butterfly and exasperated everyone who came in contact with him. 

“I’d rather not speak of it, if you please. That man is a menace to my sanity,” was the unhappy answer, confirming Alec’s suspicions. But even with his rough exterior, the owner shook Alec’s hand and politely introduced himself. “Ragnor Fell.”

“Alec Lightwood.”

Ragnor studied him in a long, considering way before asking, “Are you the one responsible for that spell?” 

Alec’s heart sped up at those words, eyes widening with surprise. He couldn’t tell if Ragnor saw what Valentine had done to him and if he did, whether he was going to tell Bane or not. “Excuse me?”

“Her dress,” Ragnor said and gestured to Madzie. 

That wasn’t what Alec was expecting and he glanced down at her as well. She was wearing a lavender colored dress with a white sash that he finished just that morning and a deep violet scarf tied at her throat. He bought the scarf when he was at the market in Alicante the other day, venting his frustration by arguing with the stall owner over the price until she finally gave him a bargain just to make him go away. “What about it?”

Ragnor frowned. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed. There’s a protection charm in every thread.”

To say Alec was confused was putting it mildly. He did have a habit of muttering to himself while he worked, and maybe he mentioned something about needing to protect Madzie from people like Valentine and Camille while speaking to Catarina. But when he tried to explain that he wasn’t a warlock or witch, and that he wasn’t able to do magic at all, Ragnor noticed the book in his hand and gave him a curious glance. Still, he rang it and Madzie’s book up without any sort of remark, so he decided not to question the amount he asked for and paid him. 

Alec tucked the books under one arm and was about to leave, when Ragnor caught his arm and nearly yanked him off his feet. If he didn’t have his cane with him, he probably would have. “Keep an eye on Magnus for me,” he whispered, urgent and low in his ear. 

He couldn’t make sense of the other man’s request when Bane seemed perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but he nodded as Madzie waved and said, “Bye, Ragnor.”

“Goodbye, guppy,” Ragnor said with a small, wry smile. 

It was such a strange encounter that Alec allowed Madzie to pull him into a flower shop with all kinds of flowers, in every color and size and shape, run by a young woman with long blonde hair and dark brown eyes. When she noticed Madzie with him, her expression lit up and she hurried over to give the girl a hug. 

“Seeing you just made me day! Getting some shopping done?” she asked. Madzie nodded and the woman turned to Alec, reaching out to shake his hand. “I’m a friend of Magnus’. Helen Blackthorn.”

“Alec Lightwood,” he said, already exhausted by the social interaction he had to endure today. He was an introverted person by nature and preferred to spend time with his siblings or those he knew well. Even at school, he mostly kept to himself and would rather read a book than acquaint himself with any of his schoolmates. It was safer that way, because he was always so terrified about his secret being found out and the shame it would bring on his family if people knew who he really was. 

Fortunately, Helen didn’t take offense and helped the girl select a bouquet of sunflowers, which she wrapped in thick brown paper and tied up in twine. Alec gave the flowers to Madzie to hold and paid Helen, who stared at him intently in a way he didn’t like. 

“If you don’t do something about that curse, it’s going to kill you,” she said. 

Alec gaped at her in disbelief, shocked by the straightforward way she said those things to him. _In front of Madzie._

“You think I enjoy being like this?” he demanded. First Ragnor and now Helen pointing out the spell on him made him irritable and angry for some reason he couldn’t explain.

“I think you’re becoming complacent,” Helen said and glanced down at his cane. “The both of us know you don’t really need that. You just think you do, and so you believe it.”

Alec tightened his grip on his cane, mouth twisting in a bitter smile. “Sure of that, are you?”

She sighed and tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind one ear, showing off the pointed tip of it. “I’m half fairy, so yes, I should hope so.”

“Then what should I do? I’ve been _trying_.”

Helen gave him a soft, pitying look that was somehow worse than any verbal response. But instead she said goodbye to Madzie and gave her another hug before seeing them to the door, and Alec was so angry on the walk home that he couldn’t bring himself to say a single word to Madzie. It was only when she kept glancing up at him with a worried look that Alec finally dropped his father’s cane right there in the middle of the street to grasp her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. 

When they reached the castle entrance, disguised this time as a nondescript brick house, that he noticed a man knocking relentlessly at the door. He was a tall, thin man dressed like a noble, carrying himself with the pompous air of one. The man was also flanked by two guards in uniform, with a coach and carriage for him on the street. 

And Alec, who was already irritated, was itching for a fight. “Whatever you’re trying to sell, we don’t want it,” he said.

The nobleman turned to him with a disdainful look. “Where is the wizard, old man?”

“Too busy to talk to you,” he said. It was quite a sight when man’s face started to turn bright red, like looking at a tomato. 

“You dare speak to me like that? I’m the king’s courier!” 

“I do dare,” Alec said, narrowing his eyes, as Madzie tugged insistently at his sleeve. “This is my home and I’m not in the mood to have sniveling errand boys on my doorstep annoying me.”

Sputtering with shock at how easily he was being dismissed, the nobleman said, “The king requires the wizard to look for his son, Prince Andrew.”

“Warlock,” he corrected him. “And the king can look for his own son, thanks.”

Perhaps it was disrespectful to say such things about the king, but it was too entertaining when the man’s red face turned a vivid purple. “Every wizard and witch owes their allegiance to the king,” he said.

“Alec,” Madzie whispered, pulling on his arm, as if trying to tug him toward the door. 

“Those rumors about Magnus Bane eating hearts are nothing compared to what’ll happen if you don’t leave right now,” Alec said and watched with a grim sort of satisfaction as the nobleman paled and fled into his carriage with his guards, which took off before he even pulled the door closed.

Most likely, this was going to come around and bite him later, but Alec couldn’t be bothered to care. He took Madzie inside the castle and was greeted by Jace, but not Jace-as-a-dog. He was Jace-as-a-young-man, dressed in a simple shirt and trousers, laughing with delight as he pulled him into a hug, causing him to drop his books. “That was amazing, Alec. We saw you chase him off from the window.”

He clung to his best friend’s shoulders, not realizing how much he missed the sound of Jace’s voice and being able to embrace him until now. “ _This_ is amazing. How did—?” 

“We think the curse is wearing off,” Clary said as she accepted the bouquet Madzie held out to her with a smile. “They’re beautiful, Madzie. Did you see Helen today?”

The girl nodded just as the castle door turned black and Bane walked through, looking as gorgeous as he always did, with red streaks in his hair and wearing a wine-colored suit. There was a smile on his face when he saw Alec, but it immediately fell when he realized he was hugging Jace. 

Alec pulled away, telling himself that he had nothing to feel guilty about and Bane didn’t control his actions. He could hug his best friend if he wanted to. “Jace is human again,” he blurted out, because he was a mess of a human being. 

“I see,” Bane said in a tone of voice that implied he didn’t see at all. He paused, as if reining himself in, but from what Alec couldn’t tell. Then he brushed past him and took Madzie from Clary, who went to hunt down a vase for the flowers. “Hello, sweetpea. How was your day?”

“We bought books,” Madzie said. 

“Which you dropped on the floor,” Catarina kindly pointed out. 

Bane set Madzie on her feet to pick them up himself, which was to say he snapped his fingers and the books jumped into his hands. Then he caught sight of the covers and the black book of poetry seemed to interest him in particular, a complicated look in his eyes, “So you met Ragnor,” he said, his voice sounding peculiar.

Alec nodded, wondering why Bane didn’t seem thrilled by the idea, when Jace suddenly doubled over before turning back into a dog, whining unhappily. 

“He’s been transforming all day,” Clary said as she placed the sunflowers by the window. “But the fact he can change at all is a good sign.”

That was a bad sign for Alec, who was still very much an old man. Just when he felt a wave of disappointment for being a failure yet again, Bane straightened and handed him the books with a small smile. “Don’t let it get you down, Alexander.”

 _Too late for that_ , Alexander thought, but reached in his pocket for the money purse Bane gave to him. “As much as I appreciate it, there’s too much. This is way more than I deserve.”

Bane surprised him by wrapping long fingers around Alec’s wrist to tug it down. “Not only are you doing all the chores, you’re dazzling up my favorite coat, so it’s only fair I compensate you for your time. You definitely deserve it.”

His hand was warm against the skin of Alec’s wrist and caused him to swallow hard, but he nodded. Bane’s smile softened, something genuine and real in his dark eyes, before he headed upstairs, and it wasn’t until Alec was starting on dinner when he realized that -despite all the years he spent working for his parents- they never gave him spending money. Not unless it was for his school materials. But Bane did it without question and without Alec needing to even ask, because he simply thought it was fair to do so. And because the warlock, for all his faults, was ridiculously and unerringly kind. It set off a spark of affection in Alec’s chest, which was both strange and frightening, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Go and catch a falling star."

Despite Alec’s best efforts, every time he tried to sneak into Bane’s room to clean it, he was either barred by a locked door or Bane appearing out of thin air to stop him. Even when he waited until he heard creaking the floorboards upstairs and made sure the bathroom door closed behind Bane, he crept up the stairs to discover Bane leaning against the doorframe, an infuriating smile on his face. “Oh, no you don’t. I prefer my room unscathed, please,” he said.

“It’s the only place I haven’t cleaned yet,” Alec argued with a scowl. There were only so many times he could clean the rest of the castle before Catarina and the others complained. 

Bane shrugged. “I’ve kept it clean without your help, and I’ll continue to do so. I suggest looking for something else to occupy your time.”

Alec was becoming more and more suspicious. “It sounds a lot like you’re trying to hide something,” he said.

The edges of Bane’s smile turned strained. “I can assure you that I’m not.”

“And I think you’re lying,” Alec said. “There’s obviously something you don’t want me to see in there and I—” 

“ _Alexander_ ,” Bane said, raising his voice, the sound sharp and loud. It took him aback, because for the first time since Alec barged into his castle, Bane never lost his temper before. Not at anyone, even Camille, and especially not at him, regardless of how much Alec bullied the others with his constant housekeeping, or mixed up Bane’s beauty creams. Whatever expression he had on his face, Bane looked regretful and softened his tone. “I shouldn’t have yelled, but I’m asking that you leave it alone.”

Alec nodded jerkily and headed downstairs to the kitchen, where he banged around pots and pans in some semblance of looking busy. A short time later, Bane followed but Alec refused to look at him. He understood exactly how the warlock felt about him. Taking him to Tessa’s tea shop and spending time with him must have been a trick of some kind, although he couldn’t figure out what it could have been. Still, he was an idiot for falling for it. The warlock didn’t really care about him and only found him amusing, like a toy that he would quickly lose interest in once he found out how it worked.  

“What have you done now?” Catarina demanded from the fireplace, but Bane ignored her.

“Alexander—”

“We’re back!” Clary said cheerfully as she threw open the blue castle door, followed by Jace and Madzie. The girl’s faces were pink with cold but they were smiling, and Jace’s tail waved back and forth with delight. “There were so many people at the confectionery today, but we managed to get Madzie’s favorites. Oh, and Catarina, Simon bought you some peppermints.”

Catarina crackled with amusement. “He’s such a sweet boy.”

“If a little dull,” Jace said as he turned back into a man, thankfully still dressed in his shirt and trousers, and started warming his hands by the fire. Clary shoved at his shoulder and he grinned back at her, completely unrepentant. 

Madzie quietly leaned against Alec, who lifted her up and set her on his hip, ignoring the way his back creaked with the effort. “Jace behaved himself then?” he asked, fighting a smile when she laughed at the affronted look on his best friend’s face. 

Alec noticed Bane staring at him and glanced away, not saying anything when the warlock cleared his throat. “I’ll be back much later,” he said, kissing Madzie’s cheek. He turned the door to black and glanced back once before disappearing through it. 

Alec watched him go, and while the others went upstairs to put away their things, he pulled open the black door and stared out into inky darkness. Swallowing back the sudden trepidation he felt, he stretched out his hand and felt something like cold mist at his fingertips. He quickly withdrew his hand and closed the door, turning back around to find Catarina staring at him. 

“We’re running out of time,” she said, enjoying some of the peppermints Clary had given her. “Haven’t you found a way to break my contract with Magnus yet?” 

“I’m busy,” Alec said, which was true, but only because he kept himself occupied with other tasks throughout the rest of the day so he wouldn’t have to think about it and in retaliation for the way Bane snapped at him earlier. He finished embroidering Bane’s coat as well, but since the warlock hadn’t come home yet, Alec set it aside and started reading the book he bought from Ragnor’s shop. Or was trying to read it. Madzie seemed to like her stories well enough, but Alec still couldn’t make sense of such unusual poetry.  

“What does mermaid singing sound like?” he asked, after reading Catarina a passage he found while flipping through the pages. 

“Terrible. And they’re mean. If you’re not careful, they’ll drag you into the water to drown.”

“It looks like a spell book to me,” Clary said, suddenly appearing at his side, making him jump as she peeked over his shoulder to study the page. 

Alec frowned down at the book and read the first line aloud, “‘Go and catch a falling star.’”

“We could try it,” Clary offered. Jace, who was in dog form again and sleeping under Alec’s chair, lifted his head and barked his disapproval. “It’s not dangerous. I know what I’m doing, Jace.”

There was a small tug on his sleeve and he looked up, finding Madzie staring at him with concern. “Don’t go, Alec.”

“We won’t be gone long,” Alec assured her. “You can keep Jace and Catarina company.”

They put on their coats and he watched as Clary placed her hand against the castle door. It started to shimmer and turned from an inky black to a dazzling gold, and when she pulled it open, it revealed a field of flowers by a lake, illuminated by the moon and stars. There were calla lilies and violets, daffodils and poppies, snapdragons, fairy lanterns, irises, and other kinds of flowers he didn’t know the names of. But the flower field was also surrounded by a barren wasteland that stretched for miles and miles, bordered by jagged mountains and deep canyons. 

“Where did you learn to do that?” Catarina demanded. 

Clary turned her gaze away and said, “Magnus taught me.”

 Alec shared a look with Catarina, knowing that she was lying but not calling her out on it. “What is this place?” he asked as he pulled the door behind them, shutting it on Catarina’s suspicious expression. 

“The Waste,” Clary said, and she looked as nervous as Alec felt, although she tried to hide it. “I heard Valentine fled here after trying to overthrow the king.”

Alec thought about the man who placed this curse on him and suppressed a shiver. Clearly the sooner they got the star, the better it would be for them. As soon as he thought it, bright lights began to streak across the sky. They watched as some of the stars hit the ground and others skittered across the surface of the lake, but they all burst in a shower of sparks. 

Clary made a soft noise of surprise and suddenly took off running before Alec could stop her. He chased after her, slipping and sliding on the muddy ground, and caught up to find Clary following a star as it drifted down toward her, a terrified look on its shining face. 

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you,” Clary said and stretched her hands out to it. 

The star wailed, a loud and unhappy sound that made Alec’s hair stand on end. “No, no! I have to die!” 

“You don’t,” she said kindly. “I’ll help you, if you let me catch you.”

“No! I’d rather die!” The star fled from her fingers and threw itself to the ground, scattering petals and sparks. 

They stared at the spot for a long time. “That was really sad,” Clary said, breaking the silence and she sounded heartbroken. 

Alec put a gentle hand on her shoulder and steered her back the way they came “Yeah, it was.”

They made their way back to the castle, quiet and distraught over what happened. Catarina asked what was wrong as Clary went up to her room, followed closely by Jace in his human form, before the door shut behind them. Alec didn’t know how to respond as he pulled off his muddy boots. Instead, he washed up in the kitchen sink and grabbed Bane’s coat to embroider, allowing Madzie to sit on the sofa beside him, despite it being well past her bedtime. She fell asleep there, so he pulled his blanket over her, but kept working well into the night. When he finally finished the last stitch, he cut the thread and shook the coat out, staring at it with a strange pain in his heart, like something important had finally ended. 

The black castle door suddenly slammed open and Bane stumbled in, waking Madzie in the process. “Alexander!” 

Alec leapt up, coat forgotten on the bed, thinking Bane must’ve been wounded or worse and quickly moved over to help him. Then he smelled alcohol on his breath and recoiled, mouth twisting in a frown. “You’re drunk,” he said.

“You brilliant boy,” Bane said and beamed at him, swaying until Alec reached out to steady him. “Old boy. Boy man. Hm. Have I told you how gorgeous you are?”

 _Gorgeous_? “You should sit down. I’ll make some tea.”

“I don’t want tea,” Bane said as Alec pushed him on the sofa, rescuing the velvet coat before Bane ended up laying on it and draped it over a chair. “Do you know—Do you know how much a warlock has to drink to get this drunk? It’s a lot. Very a lot.”

Alec glanced at Madzie, who looked as helpless as he felt, and forced a smile for her. He told her to go to bed and that he would take care of Bane. Madzie nodded and touched Bane’s knee, who smiled and patted her hair with a clumsy hand, before going upstairs. Alec waited until he heard her bedroom door close and furiously rounded on Bane. “You’re setting a bad example. What kind of respectable adult gets this drunk?” he demanded.

“Please don’t nag me when I’m too inebriated to defend myself,” Bane moaned. He kicked off his shoes and casually began to unbutton his waistcoat and trousers, leaving him in just his shirt. Alec turned his head away quickly.

“You’re acting more idiotic than usual,” Catarina said. “Did something happen?”

Bane’s expression crumpled and Alec was alarmed by the upset look in his eyes. “Ragnor’s dead.”

“Ragnor Fell?” Alec asked, thinking of the grouchy man who gently held Madzie’s hand in his own. Even if Alec barely knew him, Ragnor seemed like a good person and he understood why Bane would be so broken up over it. He sat down next to Bane. “How did he die?”

“He was murdered,” Bane snarled, yanking hard at the blanket and Alec tugged it safely away. He poured Bane a glass of water, who made a face but relented and drank it all before handing the glass back to him. 

“Was it Valentine?” Catarina asked, and Alec fumbled the glass at the name. He left it by the sink to clean later and went back over to the sofa, gathering up Bane’s fallen clothes and leaving them folded on the chair along with the coat.

Bane deflated, suddenly looking very young and vulnerable. “I don’t know for sure, but it felt like his magic.”

At a loss of what else to do, Alec moved to tuck the blanket around him, but Bane caught his sleeve and dragged Alec down next to him. “Alexander, stay with me. Please.”

Alec glanced at Catarina helplessly, but she just shrugged, and Bane took the opportunity to rest his head in Alec’s lap. He flushed with their close proximity and having no clue where to put his hands. At last, he settled on placing a careful hand on Bane’s shoulder and resisted the urge to run his fingers through his dark hair. 

Bane didn’t shed any tears, much to Alec’s surprise, and only stared blankly into the distance. “He was my dearest friend, and now he’s gone,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” Alec said, not knowing what else to say. He couldn’t imagine losing Jace or his family that way. Seeing Bane laid bare like this was terrifying, because he seemed almost like a real person. Like someone he could get along with, maybe even like.  

Bane smiled up at him, small and hesitant. “You’re so lovely. So lovely. Beautiful and sweet, like one of Tessa’s cream cakes,” he said. 

Alec shook his head in bemusement, and patted his shoulder. “You’re not making any sense. Go to sleep, Bane.”

“I always make sense,” Bane protested, but closed his eyes and fell asleep immediately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing drunk!Magnus was so much fun. Sorry, not sorry.
> 
> As always, please leave comments and kudos. And if you're interested in livetweeting while you're reading my fics, please use #kaleidofics. Thank you and I hope you enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was no sign of Bane the next morning, and Alec couldn’t say why he was so disappointed about it, just that he was.

There was no sign of Bane the next morning, and Alec couldn’t say why he was so disappointed about it, just that he was. He tried not to let it show on his face, but Catarina wasn’t fooled and gave him an apologetic glance while he was preparing breakfast, which he ignored. 

The coat that Alec finished embroidering had also disappeared, so there wasn’t much he could do to occupy himself with, and was instead forced to watch as Catarina told the others of Ragnor’s death. She was clearly trying to soften the blow, speaking more gently than Alec thought a fire demon capable of. And although Jace had no idea who Ragnor Fell was, he empathized with Clary and Madzie’s pain. When they suddenly burst into tears, Jace turned back into a dog so the girls could curl up with him on the sofa. 

Alec retreated to the chair by the fireplace and picked up his book, but couldn’t pay attention to the words he was attempting to read. He began to idly flip through the pages when a thought occurred to him and he looked up. “Catarina,” he asked in a low voice, so the others couldn’t overhear. “Were you ever a fallen star?”

She smiled at him and the wood underneath her crackled. “Yes.”

When she didn’t elaborate, he realized that the contract allowed him to ask questions but she couldn’t share anything he didn’t ask for. “So Bane was the one who caught you. Why?”

Catarina’s smile dimmed. “I was so afraid of dying and Magnus felt sorry for me. But what we did was unnatural and wrong, and now it’s killing us both.”

“I don’t know what you expect me to do,” Alec said, suddenly feeling very tired. “I don’t know anything about breaking curses. The evidence of that is sitting right in front of you.”

“Alec—” Catarina started, but was interrupted when Bane —his arms heaped with boxes wrapped in colored paper and ribbons— came through the castle door. Alec thought it was strange, because the door was green instead of black, but then Bane was shoving the parcels at him with a bright smile. 

“Good morning, Alexander,” Bane said, like _Alec_ was the one who got stupidly drunk last night. It irritated him further when he noticed Bane was wearing the blue velvet coat and how good it looked on him. 

“What’s all this?” Alec asked, as Bane balanced another parcel on top of the others. 

Bane waved his hands, like he was performing in front of an audience. “Kingsbury is always up to date on all the latest fashions, so I got everyone a few outfits.”

Alec knew this was true, considering all the dresses he’d been forced to make before, but he didn’t like seeing Bane act like this. Bane was being flighty and fanciful, like everything was fine despite Ragnor being dead and the girls still grieving over him. “Maybe now isn’t the time—”

“What kind of shop would you like to have?” Bane interrupted, taking him by surprise with the question.

Alec couldn’t see what that had to do with anything, but he still took a moment to give it some serious thought. “Anything that doesn’t involve selling dresses,” he said at last. “As long as it’s a homely place, with stained glass windows and lace curtains, where people can enjoy each other’s company. Somewhere like Tessa’s cafe.”

Bane’s frantic movements stilled and he looked at him, his eyes softening into something a little more genuine. “Yes, I’d like that as well.”

“But we can discuss it later,” Alec suggested pointedly. 

Bane finally seemed to notice the girls with Jace and froze, but it didn’t last long. He knelt by the sofa and took Madzie’s hands in his. “Sweet pea, how would you like to live at Ragnor’s shop?”

She nodded immediately and even Clary looked cheered up by the idea, much to Alec’s surprise. He thought they would be a little more distraught about it, or at least concerned with moving into the place Ragnor was murdered. When he quietly voiced these concerns to Catarina, she smiled wryly. “You humans are so superstitious. Warlock homes have an essence of their owners’ magic, which keeps them falling apart with age. Magnus wouldn’t let Ragnor’s shop fall into someone’s hands who wouldn’t know how to take care of it.”

Alec stared at her. “Are you saying they’re alive? The castle too?”

“Of course it is,” she said, giving him an odd look. “Why else would I work so hard to keep this place from being found by everyone looking for it?”

A strange thought came to Alec’s mind then, of him trying to see what was behind the black door, despite being told Magnus was the only one who could use it. He hadn’t been able to see anything, but him being able to open it easily had to mean something. He also thought of Clary, who was able to change the door simply by touching it. Was all of that possible because it was alive?

“How does that sound, Alexander?” Bane asked and he realized with a guilty start that he hadn’t been paying attention to anything that had been said. 

“Sorry. What?”

If Bane was annoyed about having to repeat himself, he didn’t show it. “I want you to go with me to Ragnor’s funeral.”

Alec frowned. “Why me? I only met him once, Bane.”

“Call me Magnus. I think we’ve at least reached that point in our relationship,” he said. “And besides, Ragnor doesn’t sell his spell books to just anyone.”

“So it was a spell book?” Alec wondered aloud. “Clary tried to catch a falling star, but it didn’t work.”

In the ensuing silence, Alec realized the terrible mistake he had made. Clary’s face was suddenly very pale and even Catarina’s flames had lost some of their color. Jace glanced between Clary and Magnus worriedly, and even Madzie looked nervous. Bane, on the other hand, was eerily still. “She what?”

“We were trying one of the spells in the book,” Alec said, still bemused by his reaction. 

Bane rounded on Clary with the most thunderous look he had ever seen on his face. Alec was shocked, having never seen him look so angry before. “What were you thinking?” he demanded. 

Jace turned back into his human form, snarling. “Don’t yell at her!”

“I can when she’s being a _complete idiot_ ,” Bane snarled back.

Clary tilted her head up defiantly. “I’m not a child anymore, Magnus. I—”

“The very fact you’re saying that is proof you’re still a child,” Bane said, cruel and fierce. “Do you know what could have happened if you managed to catch that star?”

“You’re overreacting,” Catarina said. “You caught one yourself, didn’t you?”

“Yes, and I—” Bane stopped and whirled on Alec, his dark eyes flashing amber. “You should’ve at least had the common sense to stop her.”

The words stung and Alec was unable to hide the hurt he felt. He shoved the parcels to the floor and stood, feeling his own temper simmering at the surface. “I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her. I know how serious curses are.”

“Like the one that’s on you?” Bane asked, snide and mean. His amber eyes flashed, beautiful and terrible in equal measure. “Oh, yes. You’ve proven very adept in handling _that_.”

Alec froze, feeling a chill run down his spine. “You—You knew all along that I—“ He broke off, unable to finish his sentence, but Bane was merciless. 

“Of course I did,” he said. “I’d be an idiot not to notice such a powerful spell.”

“Was it that obvious?” Alec asked Clary and Madzie, feeling numb all over. 

Madzie nodded and there was an apologetic look on Clary’s face. “Jace told me,” she said. 

“I knew as soon as I saw you,” Bane continued, obviously struggling to keep his composure. “I tried numerous times to take it off you when you weren’t looking, but nothing seemed to work. I even tried taking you to Tessa, in the hopes she could do something, but obviously she couldn’t. After a while, I assumed that you liked being in disguise.”

“Disguise?” Alec demanded. “Do you think I get enjoyment out of this?”

Bane shrugged, as if he couldn’t be bothered to care one way or another. “I suppose you must, since you’re doing it to yourself. Haven’t you wondered why Jace can switch between forms, while nothing has changed for you?” He paused and his next words were soft. “I did what I could, Alexander. I even tried to help with your aches and pains, or did you enjoy those too?”

Alec didn’t know how to respond, so he turned away and ignored him. He heard Bane sigh and waited until his footsteps retreated upstairs and the bathroom door closed behind him. He looked at the others and everyone had sympathetic looks on their faces. There was a tug on his sleeve and he looked down at Madzie, feeling a multitude of emotions well up in his throat at what he was about to do. “I’m sorry, but I have to do this,” he said. 

“Alec,” Jace started, but he shook his head. 

“You should stay here,” Alec told him as he packed his belongings and yanked on his boots. “You and Clary are going to be really happy together. You shouldn’t give that up.”

Jace stepped forward, like he wanted to grab him and keep him from leaving. “The curse—” 

“It’s already wearing off on you,” Alec said, pulling his coat on and buttoning it up.

“I meant for you,” Jace said. “Where will you go?”

Alec forced a smile and it made him feel worse than he already did. “I’ll manage. But I can’t stay here anymore.”

Jace held out his arms and he went willingly, pressing his face against Jace’s shoulder in a moment of weakness before pulling away.

“Alec—” Clary started, but he put a hand on her shoulder. 

“Take care of him for me,” he said, and wasn’t entirely sure whether or not he was just talking about Jace. Alec stopped to give Madzie a hug and turned to Catarina, who looked more resigned than anything. 

“You’re leaving then.”

“Yes.”

She sighed. “Magnus is acting childish because he’s upset. You don’t have to leave.”

He did. Alec had never been more sure about anything. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t break your contract with him,” he said and found that he meant it. Maybe he should have tried harder to figure it out, but it was too late now. He was going to leave and he didn’t plan on ever coming back. 

“Take care of yourself, Alec,” Catarina said. Because she was a better person than him, even though she was a fire demon.

Alec nodded and shared one last glance with all of them before turning away. He put his hand on the door, which turned from green to blue, and stepped out into Market Chipping. He closed the door behind him, but kept his hand on the knob a lot longer than he needed to. After a moment, he reluctantly let it go and started walking in a completely random direction. His body felt stiff and creaky in a way it hadn’t since he started staying with Magnus, but he kept walking. The town was bustling with beautiful couples in bright clothes, horse drawn carriages, and trolleys swarmed with passengers as people went about their day. 

As he was about to turn a corner, a familiar voice called out, “Alec!”

He turned and there was Izzy, running toward him and dragging a boy her age by the wrist. She looked prettier than the last time he saw her, having blossomed from the little girl he remembered into the young woman she was now. She was wearing an elegant pale blue dress that showed off her curves and had a stunning ruby pendant around her neck. 

“Alec, what’s going on?” Izzy demanded, sounding the way she did before she was sent away, arguing with their parents without fear or shame. “Mom and Dad have been looking for you. You just sent those letters and no one has heard from you since.”

Alec opened his mouth to respond and then remembered how he must look to her, still an old man, something Magnus pointed out was his fault. “I think you must have the wrong person—” he started to say, but she quickly interrupted him.

“You’re still a terrible liar,” Izzy said, even as she smiled. “I know it’s you, Alec.”

“How?” Alec asked before he could stop himself, and realized he was caught by the triumphant look on her face.

—

Apparently Izzy had made quite a life for herself. She had been apprenticing for Jocelyn Fray for three weeks out in the countryside before finding a spell in one of her books to disguise herself as another person. She feigned homesickness so Jocelyn took pity on her and let her go home for a week. But instead of going to Alicante to see their parents, she went to Market Chipping to meet Max at Hodge Starkweather’s. After discussing it with their little brother, Izzy wanted to learn fighting and Max wanted to learn magic, and they devised a plan to switch places. She practiced for the entire week and on the final day, Max left for Jocelyn’s and Izzy went to Hodge. 

To her surprise, it took Hodge a day to figure out what they had done, but he hadn’t been angry. He said it wasn’t fair to force someone to learn something they had no interest in, and simply told Izzy that if she was willing to learn from him, she should do it without guise or glamour. So she did, and since Max wrote her saying a similar thing happened with Jocelyn and since she hadn’t sent him back to their parents, it seemed she was going to teach him as well. 

“But who’s this?” Alec asked, looking at the boy with her suspiciously. Izzy, who had insisted that they stop at a pastry shop she was fond of, hid a smile as she stirred her tea. 

The boy —a young man really— smiled at him nervously and held his hand out to shake. “I’m Simon. Simon Lewis. Nice to meet you.”

He had brown hair and eyes, which looked huge behind his dark glasses. He didn't seem like Izzy's usual type of admirers, but there was something honest and sincere about him, so it could have been much worse. Still, Alec stared at him long and hard, making sure he was squirming, before finally accepting it. Regardless of how skilled Izzy was, he was her big brother and had every right to give the men in her life a hard time. 

“Stop that,” Izzy said, rolling her eyes, even as she took a delicate bite of her jam tart. “You’re scaring him.”

“I’m not scared,” Simon said, but he looked terrified, so his argument was rather unconvincing.

Alec glared at him a little more, before deciding to take pity on him. “How did you two meet?” he asked, taking a sip of his tea.

“He was getting mugged and I saved him,” Izzy said, smiling at Simon.

“It was amazing!” he said, waving his hands excitedly. “She threw these two guys right over her head.”

Alec looked at his sister sharply and she shrugged. “I knew what I was doing. Nobody got hurt.”

“Except for the muggers,” Simon said. 

Izzy looked shifty and seemed desperate to change the subject. “Now tell me where you’ve been, Alec.”

He fiddled with his teaspoon and shrugged. “I was living with Magnus Bane.”

Simon’s eyes widened behind his glasses. “The warlock? How? Why?”

Izzy, on the other hand, had a livid look on her face. “Was he the one who did that to you?”

“No!” Alec said, horrified by the mere thought of it. Magnus would never be so cruel as to put this kind of curse on anyone. Magnus was fickle and ran away from his problems instead of facing them head on, but that didn’t make him a bad person. Even when Alec was rude or accused him of all kinds of unforgivable things, Magnus never lost his temper with Alec. Until finally he did. 

Alec’s heart ached, thinking of their last argument and how angry Magnus had been with him. He wondered whether Magnus found out Alec had left yet, or if he even cared. It was a dangerous train of thought, so instead he told Izzy about Valentine and how their parents had been involved with him at some point. How he and Jace had been cursed that night in the dress shop and how they stumbled across Magnus’ castle. About Catarina and Madzie, about Clary and Jace obviously being in love with her, which is why he told him to stay behind. And about Magnus, who was kind and thoughtful, and how he never did anything that made feel Alec threatened or exploited. 

“He’s also absolutely hopeless when he’s drunk,” Alec said, then stiffened at the odd look Izzy was giving him. “What?”

She shook her head. “I’ve never heard you talk about anyone that way. Even when you had feelings for Jace.”

“We were kids then,” he said and glared at Simon, daring him to say anything about it, although he didn’t seem bothered. Alec had been so young and scared then, and latching onto Jace was safe, since he knew deep down that it would never be anything but brotherly love between them. It was how Alec knew his parents would never approve of him no matter what he did, and he’d been right. 

The silence between them was heavy and Simon took the hint, excusing himself from the table and giving them space. “Do you ever wonder why our parents sent Max and I away?” Izzy asked, once it was just the two of them. 

“To make your fortunes, I suppose,” Alec said, because he was the eldest. It was common knowledge that the younger children succeeded in whatever they did in life, while the eldest was a failure. 

“No,” she said, reaching out to take his withered hand in hers. “They did it because they wanted Max to be the most successful out of all of us, since he’s the youngest. And they wanted me to be less outspoken, more demure and quiet.”

“Clearly they don’t know you very well,” he said, amused despite himself.

“No,” Izzy agreed. “They don’t. I wasn’t going to let them use me like that. I wasn’t going to conform to their old-fashioned way of thinking, and that’s why I fought so hard to do what I wanted, and that’s why Max agreed with me to switch places. We escaped their influence, but now I realize that I should have been more worried about you.”

Alec blinked. “What about me?”

“I heard all about it from Jace,” she said. “He still writes me, even if you don’t. I know all about how you were a recluse, slaving away in the shop.” She paused. “You’re obviously better now, but are you happy?”

“Izzy—”

She gave his hand a squeeze, silently asking him to wait until she finished. “But the worst thing is that you couldn’t even come to me after Valentine cursed you. What am I supposed to think, knowing you went to Magnus Bane of all people?”

“The rumors about him aren’t true,” Alec said. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need to defend Magnus, just that it felt like the right thing to do. “And there wasn’t anything you could’ve done.”

“You still could have gone to Jocelyn,” she insisted. “She would have helped you if I asked.”

“I was ashamed,” he said. “I didn’t want you to see me like that. I was already so pitiful and angry, it could have killed me. It probably would have if Jace and I hadn’t found Magnus’ castle. But he let us stay with him and was hospitable, even when he had every reason not to be. He took me to his friend’s cafe and gave me a wage, just because he thought I deserved it. Being there with Magnus and the others brightened my world, Izzy. And I think if I stayed I would’ve fallen in love with him.”

“Oh, Alec.”

He covered his face with his hand, his eyes still dry when all he wanted to do was weep. Whatever he and Magnus had between them, it was over now, and knowing that was the worst kind of pain he’d ever felt. “It doesn’t matter now,” he said quietly. “It’s over.”

Izzy waited patiently until he looked up, and when he did, her eyes were sad. “Hodge has a spare bedroom, if you want to stay with us,” she said.

He didn’t want to, but he couldn’t think of a good reason to turn it down. Which was just as well, because when Alec glanced out the window, he realized it was raining in Market Chipping. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His brother threw his arms around his waist, hugging him tight before letting him go to stare up into his face. “You’re so _old_."
> 
> Alec resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Yes, I am. Thanks for noticing.”

Considering Hodge Starkweather was a martial arts master, Alec expected someone huge and formidable. And although Izzy’s teacher was quite muscular, he had a tall and thin build like Alec himself. He had blond hair and blue eyes, and was conventionally handsome, which made Alec a little uneasy thinking about Izzy staying alone with him. But Hodge seemed kind and respectful, inviting Alec inside his home without protest and speaking to Izzy like they were more equals than a master and apprentice. 

Hodge’s house was made of stone and seemed unnecessarily large for just two people, with several empty rooms and a heavy wooden front door. There was a large garden in the back that served as a training area, with high walls that kept it separated from the rest of the neighborhood. Hodge was also forthcoming about their day to day training, telling Alec that Izzy was a brilliant student. He said that she took to fighting like it was second nature, and while Izzy was a skilled martial artist, her talents with a whip were unparalleled. Hodge even took Alec through the armory, which was a large room that held an impressive collection of vicious looking weapons, including a metal disc with sharp edges he called a chakram. There was also a bow and quiver of arrows that caught Alec’s attention, and after a while Hodge noticed him glancing at them. 

“Are you interested in archery, grandfather?” he asked. 

The respectful form of address took Alec by surprise, although it really shouldn’t have. Of course Hodge didn’t know that Alec was really younger than him, when he looked like an old man as he did, and probably assumed Alec was Izzy’s true grandfather. He obviously wasn’t Robert Lightwood, that was for sure. But all Alec could think about was how Magnus claimed he had the curse of him to disguise himself, which of course didn’t make any sense. He obviously didn’t have any magic, except he couldn’t help thinking about Helen mentioning the protection charm that had been woven in Maddie’s dress and found himself anyway. 

“Alec is amazing with a bow,” Izzy said, when he didn’t respond immediately. “We have some awards from competitions he’s been in back at our parents’ house.”

Alec had been one of the best archers in the county, winning at several competitions and tournaments, but their parents insisted he quit a few months before they took him out of school, saying archery was a waste of his time. He still missed it. He missed the feel of the bowstring tightening as he pulled it back, the power of the release when he let his arrow fly, the distinctive sound it made when it hit its target. The exhilaration of winning. He missed all of it. 

“It was just a pastime,” Alec said as he turned away. 

Seeing how happy Izzy was being able to do something that she was, Alec wanted to show his appreciation and made dinner. It was very simple, since his heart wasn’t into making anything he would have for Magnus and the others, but Hodge’s eyes lit up when he took his first bite and Alec winced in sympathy for him. He couldn’t imagine the man got very appetizing meals, if Izzy was the one doing the cooking. 

Hodge showed him to a guest bedroom to stay in, but Izzy snuck in and they lay down on the bed together. They lay side by side on the surprisingly large bed, reaching across the space between them to link their fingers together, the way they used to as children. On the nights one of them had a nightmare, or just couldn’t sleep. 

“You could stay here,” Izzy said, and her kind offer made him smile in the dark. 

“You’d hate having me underfoot, especially when you’re beating up muggers and dating nice boys.”

Izzy laughed. “I like Simon. I think you’d like him too if you gave him a chance.”

“I don’t dislike him,” Alec said graciously, which was the highest praise he could give. 

His sister seemed to realize this as well, because her voice was shy and relieved. “I’m glad,” she said, then paused. “So what are you going to do now?”

Alec rubbed her knuckles with his thumb, comparing the difference between his old wrinkled hand to the softness of her youthful one. “I don’t know. I think I’ll live on my own for a while, maybe do some traveling. There’s a big wide world I’ve never seen and it’s about time I did.”

“Where are you headed to first?”

Alec pondered it for a moment and shrugged. “For a start, I’m going to see Max.”

—

It was still raining when Alec left Market Chipping early the next morning. Izzy tried convincing him to go another day or at least have breakfast with her and Hodge, but he decided not to overstay his welcome. There would always be another chance to see her, but it had been months since he last saw Max. It would be good to catch up with his brother. He tugged the collar of his coat up, protecting his neck from the howling wind and the rain, when the scarecrow with the turnip head hopped up beside him. 

“It’s you,” he said, surprised despite himself. The scarecrow looked even more tattered and beat up than before. It made him feel a little sorry for it. “Still in one piece, I see. What on earth are you doing here?”

The scarecrow shook itself, sending droplets of water everywhere, and Alec noticed a thick blanket hanging from one of the sticks that served as its arms. He smiled gratefully as he grabbed it and wrapped it around his shoulders. It wasn’t much protection, but the wind was too strong for an umbrella even if he had one with him, so it was better than nothing.  

“Thank you,” he told it. “You’re an interesting turnip head, aren’t you? I suppose there must be some kind of spell on you too. I hope it wears off and you find whatever it is that you’re looking for.”

It tried to follow him to town, but Alec explained that people wouldn’t be happy about a scarecrow moving on its own. He convinced it to stay on the hill, but it seemed to watch him in a sad, forlorn sort of way. Like a puppy being separated from its master. 

There weren’t that many people out on the streets, but he nodded politely to a man with his horse and cart, and responded to an older woman’s greeting with one of his own. He stopped by the dress shop, overcome with the sudden need to see what became of it. the doors were shut up and it was dark inside when he peeked through the windows. The shop was bare and empty, and so different from the place he remembered. 

“Are you looking for the Lightwoods, grandfather?” a voice asked and he turned to find the grocer’s wife. She was a woman around Maryse’s age, with curly brown hair and kind blue eyes. She used to pass out sweets to the children on their way home from school, and she was especially fond of the Lightwood children. 

“I’m Maryse Lightwood’s great uncle,” Alec lied, or tried to anyway. He’d never been a very convincing liar. “Gideon Trueblood.”

She smiled, none the wiser. “They’re such a lovely family. But I’m sorry to say they closed up their shop and moved to Kingsbury two weeks ago. A mighty shame that was, to be sure.”

Alec made what he hoped was an agreeing noise, but it fell flat. So Robert and Maryse decided to close the shop without their main source of income. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about it. On the one hand, he felt responsible for it, but on the other he was too relieved to care. He could go wherever he wanted and do whatever his heart desired. So why did he feel so disappointed?

“If you need a place to stay the night, grandfather, it would be a great pleasure having you stay with my family and I.”

“Thank you, but I have other accommodations,” Alec said and shuffled away. 

Jocelyn Fairchild lived on the outskirts of Alicante. She lived in a white house with a lovely flower garden. Alec knocked on the door, which was painted a cheery yellow. The door opened and he drew a sharp breath when Max answered it. If Izzy looked different, his brother had grown so much in the tie they were apart. He was so tall and lanky now, the way Alec had been at that age, and his glasses made his eyes big and innocent. 

“Alec?”

“Yeah.” He swallowed hard. “It’s me, Max.”

His brother threw his arms around his waist, hugging him tight before letting him go to stare up into his face. “You’re so _old_.” 

Alec resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Yes, I am. Thanks for noticing.”

A woman appeared in the doorway then, drying her hands on her apron. She had thick auburn hair pulled back in a bun and he felt like he’d seen her somewhere before. But he soon realized when she invited him inside and he saw a picture of Clary —maybe a year or two younger than she looked now— displayed on the mantlepiece.

“My daughter. She ran away from home.” 

Alec turned to find Jocelyn staring at him curiously, and realized that she could probably tell he was under a curse, or at least sense the magic on him.

“You must be Alec, Max’s brother,” she said, confirming that she could sense the curse, and shook his hand. “I heard a lot about you from Izzy and Max. They were singing your praises every chance they got.”

Alec glanced at his little brother, who flushed. “Jocelyn!”

She laughed as she headed back into the kitchen. “Please sit down. I’ll fetch us some tea.”

Alec smiled once Jocelyn left the room and slowly lowered himself in a sitting chair, and he couldn’t help teasing his baby brother. “So. Singing my praises were you?”

Max rolled his eyes as he sat down in the chair next to him. “Don’t let it go to your head.” He paused and then said, quiet and ashamed, “I know you never wanted to take over the shop from Mom and Dad. You wanted to finish your education and become a professor, and you would’ve been a good one. I’m sorry you felt pressured to do what they told you. I know you made a lot of sacrifices for Izzy and me.”

Alec didn’t know how to respond, so he didn’t say anything. Max’s assessment of him was true, and while he missed school, he enjoyed his time at Magnus’ castle too. It was challenging —especially when Magnus was being difficult— but he also encouraged Alec to try new things. Being there with Magnus and the others had opened his eyes to a bigger and brighter world, one filled with magic. One where he felt like he belonged. 

Jocelyn reappeared with a tray of tea and biscuits, setting them on a little table and handing Alec a cup. “Would you like sugar or milk?”

“No, thank you,” he said politely and took the cup, taking a careful sip. 

Max glanced down at the down at the tray and failed to hide his disappointment. “No cake?”

An embarrassed look crossed Jocelyn’s face. “Oh, I must have left it in the pantry. Do you mind getting it for us?”

Max beamed, always happy to be helpful, and leapt up from his chair and went to go fetch it. Jocelyn took the chair across from Alec, sipping her own tea, and his eyes again searched out the picture of Clary. “Why did she run away?” he asked.

Jocelyn blinked and set down her tea cup, seeming to search for a proper response. “I wanted to protect her,” she said at last, “So I told her so many lies. And then one afternoon when the rain was pouring down, she found out the truth. We argued, shouted all kinds of awful things to each other, then she left and I haven’t seen her since.”

Alec took another sip of his tea, gathering his thoughts. Suddenly a lot of things about Clary were clicking into place. “What did she find out?”

“She found out who her father was,” Jocelyn said. “And what I am.”

“Who is her father?” he asked, even though he already knew before Jocelyn said it. 

Jocelyn looked at him, her eyes very sad. “It’s the same man who put that curse on you.” 

“Valentine is your husband,” Alec realized. “And you’re a star.”

Jocelyn hesitated, but finally nodded. “I’ve been bound to him ever since.”

She must’ve decided to make a contract with him, the same way Magnus had with Catarina. “No wonder Clary was upset about it.”

A pained and longing look came over her face. “He was a different man then. He was so charismatic and kind. He saved me, although I don’t expect you to understand.”

Alec thought of Catarina talking about Clary when she showed up at the castle door on that rainy day. How scared and desperate she must have been, and how lucky she was to find Magnus’ castle, instead of ending up with someone who could have hurt her. “You had no right to keep that a secret from her,” he said, tightening his fingers around his tea cup.

“You’re not a parent, so I don’t expect you to understand,” Jocelyn said with a pitying look, like she wasn’t the one in the wrong, despite everything she’d done. “Clary is still a child and I’m her mother. I’m the one who knows what’s best for her.”

“No,” Alec said, slamming the cup down and not caring if it cracked or shattered. “Clary is her own person. No matter what terrible things Valentine did, she deserved to know the truth. If you were so scared of him, you should’ve taught her how to protect herself from him at least. Magnus did that, not you.”

Jocelyn’s lips parted into something that resembled a smile and he knew that he misstepped somewhere. “So she’s with Magnus Bane. How convenient.”

“What?” Alec suddenly felt faint. 

“You’re so naive, just like your parents were. I was furious when Robert and Maryse abandoned us the way they did after the failed coup. That’s why I sent Blackwell to kidnap you when you were a child. He was supposed to kill you, but your parents saved you at the last minute. Except they’re not here now.”

Alec felt himself list to one side and only barely managed to catch himself on the edge of the table, even as he sank to the floor. He felt sick. The room was spinning. He wanted to call out to Max, tell him to run, that Jocelyn wasn’t what she seemed, but he could barely find the air to breathe. Darkness crept up around the edges of his vision as Jocelyn knelt by his side, placing a gentle hand on his wrist and turning it to check his pulse. Her touch repulsed him and he was sure he would’ve vomited if his body could move. 

“I’m going to tear your family apart,” she whispered as he lost consciousness, “And then use you to destroy Magnus as well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end! Just one more chapter and an epilogue before this story finally comes to a close.


End file.
